I first met Ferret some ten years ago while I was still working in the City. He was a motivated Mergers and Acquisitions consultant, with a natural cheek and plenty of charm. We chatted over lunch, and then later on over G&T. He had this endearing way of knowing what I was thinking, sometime before I even knew myself. I joked that I was going to move out West and write a novel. He ribbed me back, stating quite categorically that I should make him the central character in my story. We swapped business cards and I said I’d consider it, provided he had a really good tale to tell.

I did indeed move out West to the city of Bath, but for work, and not to write. Shortly after that, the great financial crisis of 2007/08 struck, causing a lot of upheaval. I was far too busy managing a large team of contractors to pay much attention to the details of who did what to whom. Sure, I was interested, having spent a big chunk of my life working in finance, but no longer involved, as I’d moved on and was now working for government.

My lack of interest changed on the day I received a phone call from my M&A pal. He asked me if I was still interested in telling a story. His story to be precise. A lot had happened between me leaving London and that day. I’ve always been a writer, but I’d never progressed beyond boring reports, magazine articles and the odd short story. I told Ferret I’d love to help him out, and armed only with a tape recorder (mobile phone, actually) and a pen, spent a week staying at his place near Regent’s Park, interviewing him and his friends.

The story that Ferret related was indeed quite the tale, beginning more or less with the death of his father and ending with the great financial crisis. Given the array of characters involved, I asked my pal Richard Argent if he’d be interested in illustrating a novel and thankfully he agreed. I’ve changed the names of some of the characters for legal reasons, although I’m sure they know who they are. Perhaps you’ll be able to work out who they are too.